Meryl Davis and Charlie White to Compete Against Each Other on Dancing With the Stars: "Ready to Rock!"

After more than 17 years as partners, Olympians Meryl Davis and Charlie White will compete against each other on season 18 of Dancing With the Stars.
Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

After more than 17 years as a dancing dream team, Olympic gold medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White will compete against each other on season 18 of Dancing With the Stars. Us Weekly first reported during the 2014 Sochi Olympics last month that the ice dancing champs wanted to compete on ABC's smash competition series.

"We were talking about [competing on the show] and someone was saying, 'Oh but you wouldn’t be a team,'" White told Us senior reporter Jen Peros at the P&G Family Home on Feb. 19. "We were like, 'I don’t know, that might be fun to compete against each other.' I think it would be so awesome to be able to be on a show like that."

"I think, as athletes, when you finish a competition typically, even though theres a little bit of celebrating and media, we're anxious to get back to training," Davis added.

As it turns out, the dynamic duo worked with Dancing pro Derek Hough on their My Fair Lady-themed short dance portion of their gold medal-winning routine, after first being introduced through their agency. "We got to see a little bit of the behind-the-scenes look," Davis told Us last month of training with the five-time Mirrorball Trophy winner. "Obviously we have a real love for dance, and the popularity that that show has brought to dance in the U.S., we feel [has] helped the case for ice dancing and it's popularity as well."

While Davis and White's dreams of working with Derek and Julianne Hough, respectively, did not pan out as desired, the two athletes will be working with dynamic pros Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Sharna Burgess on the upcoming season of the show.

"So excited to be 'Team M&M' with @MaksimC," Davis tweeted after the new cast was revealed on Good Morning America Tuesday. Along with a picture of her new Dancing partner, Davis followed up, "Let the adventure begin! Weeeee!" Chmerkovskiy, who returns as a pro after a two year hiatus from the show, returned the love and wrote, "Don't know what I did 'right' to be partnered with @Meryl_Davis , but thank you @DancingABC ! Something tells me this will be fun ;)."

Now vying for the Mirrorball Trophy as a competitor, White responded to his longtime dancing partner's tweet with a funny sting: "Don't listen to @Meryl_Davis !" he pleaded with fans. "It's all about team Shar-Char!!! @SharnaBurgess and I are ready to rock!"

But they could even swap partners. Hough announced on GMA that season 18 of the show comes an interesting twist -- "America will be given the power to vote and change celebrities and professional dance pairings," he said. "This new rule will affect all couples as they will be required to switch partners at a point in the season."

Davis and White join a star-studded cast including Real Housewives of Atlanta'sNeNe Leakes and Full House alum Candace Cameron Bure. Season 18 of ABC's Dancing With the Stars debuts Monday, Mar. 17.

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